Toy airplane having elastic landing gear

ABSTRACT

A toy airplane includes a fuselage, a main wing and a stabilizing fin and a rudder fin extended from the fuselage, and a landing gear having an arm extended from the fuselage and one or more wheels attached to the arm. The arm includes one or more depressions formed in the arm, and preferably facing upwardly for increasing a resilience of the arm and for allowing the wheel to be resiliently engaged onto ground and to be prevented from forcefully striking onto the ground while landing. The landing gear may be attached to the front or the middle portion of the fuselage. One or more bent portions may further be formed in the arm for further increasing the resilience of the arm.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a toy airplane, and more particularlyto a toy airplane having a landing gear that includes a cushioning orflexible or elastic or resilient support for allowing the landing gearto be resiliently or elastically engaged onto the ground and forpreventing the toy airplane from directly striking onto the ground whilelanding.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical toy airplanes comprise a fuselage including one or morehorizontal wings laterally extended from the middle portion thereof, andincluding one or more vertical rudder fins extended from the rearportion thereof, and including one or more horizontal stabilizing finslaterally extended from the rear portion thereof, and may comprise anumber of plates or sheets foldable and attachable together to form thefuselage and the horizontal wings and the vertical rudder fins and thehorizontal stabilizing fins.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,946 to Yang discloses one of thetypical toy airplanes comprising a fuselage, a main wing, two auxiliarywings, a retainer strip, a tail fin, and a nose that may be attached orsecured together by force-fitted engagements or by locking tongues andlocking notches. Most of the typical toy airplanes have no landing gearsattached to the bottom of the fuselage such that the fuselage may bedirectly striking onto the ground while landing, and such that thefuselage may have a good chance to be damaged after landing.

Some of the typical toy airplanes may comprise a wheel device or one ormore wheels attached to the bottom of the fuselage for landing purposes.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,168,653 to Meagher, Jr. discloses one ofthe typical toy airplanes comprising a substantially triangular lightmetal bracket or landing frame attached to the bottom of the fuselageand having a light axle for attaching one or more wheels to the landingframe for landing purposes.

However, the triangular light metal bracket or landing frame includes asolid triangular structure having no cushioning or flexible or elasticor resilient structure formed therein such that a great force may alsobe applied onto the landing gear and then onto the fuselage whilelanding, and such that the fuselage may also have a good chance to bedamaged after landing.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional toy airplanes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a toyairplane including a landing gear that has a cushioning or flexible orelastic or resilient support for allowing the landing gear to beresiliently or elastically engaged onto the ground and for preventingthe toy airplane from striking onto the ground while landing.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a toyairplane comprising a fuselage, a main wing and a stabilizing fin and atleast one rudder fin extended from the fuselage, and a landing gearincluding an arm extended from the fuselage, and including at least onewheel attached to the arm, and the arm including at least one depressionformed in the arm for increasing a resilience of the arm and forallowing the wheel to be resiliently engaged onto ground and to beprevented from forcefully striking onto the ground while landing.

The wheel is rotatably attached to the arm with an axle. The armpreferably includes a curved structure, and/or includes at least onebent portion formed therein for further increasing the resilience of thearm.

The landing gear includes a rod attached to a bottom portion of thefuselage, and having the arm extended downwardly and rearwardly from therod. The landing gear may either be attached to the front portion or themiddle portion of the fuselage.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a careful reading of the detailed description providedhereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a toy airplane in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan schematic view of the toy airplane;

FIG. 3 is a side plan schematic view of the toy airplane;

FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view of the toy airplane;

FIG. 5 is an upper perspective view of the toy airplane which has nolanding gears attached thereto;

FIG. 6 is a side plan schematic view of the toy airplane as shown inFIG. 5, which has no landing gears attached thereto;

FIG. 7 is a plan schematic view illustrating the flying operation of thetoy airplane; and

FIG. 8 is a plan schematic view similar to FIG. 7, illustrating thelanding operation of the toy airplane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-4, a toy airplane 10in accordance with the present invention comprises a fuselage 11, a mainwing 12 laterally extended from the middle portion of the fuselage 11,an auxiliary and horizontal stabilizing fin 13 laterally extended fromthe rear portion 15 of the fuselage 11, and one or more vertical rudderfins 14 extended upwardly from the rear portion 15 of the fuselage 11for forming the basic structure of the toy airplane 10.

The toy airplane 10 may comprise a number of plates or sheets foldableand attachable together to form the fuselage 11 and the main wing 12 andthe auxiliary and horizontal stabilizing fin 13 and the vertical rudderfins 14, and the fuselage 11 and the main wing 12 and the auxiliary andhorizontal stabilizing fin 13 and the vertical rudder fins 14 may beattached or secured or assembled together by such as force-fittedengagements, or by locking tongues and locking notches (not shown), orby welding or hot-pressing or compressing processes.

Alternatively, the fuselage 11 and the main wing 12 and the auxiliaryand horizontal stabilizing fin 13 and the vertical rudder fins 14 may beformed integral with each other by such as molding or mold injectionprocesses, and may be formed into various kinds of shapes or contours orconfigurations. The toy airplane 10 may be made of paper materials,light metal materials, rubber or plastic materials, foamable materials,or other synthetic materials that includes a light weight and asubstantial or required bending strength.

The toy airplane 10 further includes a primary landing gear 20 having arod 21 laterally attached or secured to the lower or bottom portion 16of the fuselage 11, and having one or more, such as two arms 22 extendeddownwardly and rearwardly from the rod 21, and such as extended from twoends of the rod 21, and having one or more wheels 23 attached or securedto the lower or bottom or free end portion or a lower hub 24 of each ofthe arms 22 with an axle 25 for allowing the wheels 23 to be rotatedrelative to the arms 22 and for landing purposes.

The toy airplane 10 further includes an auxiliary or nose landing gear30 having an arm 31 extended downwardly and rearwardly from the nose orfront portion 18 of the fuselage 11, and also having one or more wheels32 attached or secured to the lower or bottom or free end portion or alower hub 33 of the arm 31 with an axle 34 for allowing the wheels 32 tobe rotated relative to the arm 31 and for landing purposes.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the arms 22, 31 each preferably includesa curved structure or includes one or more bent portions 26, 36 formedtherein for increasing the resilience of the arms 22, 31 and thus forallowing the wheels 32 to be resiliently or elastically engaged onto theground and thus for preventing the toy airplane 10 from directly orforcefully striking onto the ground while landing.

It is further preferable that the arms 22, 31 each further includes oneor more recesses or depressions 28, 38 formed therein, such as formed inthe upper portion of each of the arms 22, 31, or preferably opened orfaced upwardly and/or faced rearwardly relative to arms 22, 31 forfurther increasing the resilience of the arms 22, 31 and thus forallowing the wheels 32 to be resiliently or elastically engaged onto theground and thus for preventing the toy airplane 10 from directly orforcefully striking onto the ground while landing.

The prior or conventional toy airplanes 10 have no curved arms 22, 31extended downwardly and rearwardly from the fuselage 11, and have nobent portions 26, 36 and/or recesses or depressions 28, 38 formed orprovided in the arms 22, 31 for increasing the resilience of the arms22, 31 and for providing or applying a resilient or elastic orcushioning force between the fuselage 11 and the arms 22, 31 of thelanding gears 20, 30, and for resiliently or elastically engaging thewheels 32 onto the ground and thus for preventing the toy airplane 10from directly or forcefully striking onto the ground while landing.

It is to be noted that the landing gears 20, 30 may also be attached orsecured or assembled to the fuselage 11 with such as force-fittedengagements, or by locking tongues and locking notches (not shown), orby welding or hot-pressing or compressing processes, or may bedetachably attached to the fuselage 11 with such as latches (not shown)or the like, for allowing the landing gears 20, 30 to be selectivelydetached or disengaged from the fuselage 11 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.The arms 22, 31 of the landing gears 20, 30 are preferably made of lightweight metal materials, plastic materials, synthetic materials, or otherresilient materials for cushioning the fuselage 11.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the curved structures of thearms 22, 31 and/or the bent portions 26, 36 of the arms 22, 31 and/orthe recesses or depressions 28, 38 of the arms 22, 31 may be providedfor increasing the resilience of the arms 22, 31 and thus for increasingthe cushioning effect of the arms 22, 31 and thus for allowing aresilient or elastic or cushioning force to be applied between thefuselage 11 and the arms 22, 31 of the landing gears 20, 30, and thusfor allowing the wheels 32 to be resiliently or elastically engaged ontothe ground and thus for preventing the toy airplane 10 from directly orforcefully striking onto the ground while landing.

Accordingly, the toy airplane in accordance with the present inventionincludes a landing gear that has a cushioning or flexible or elastic orresilient support for providing a resilient or elastic or cushioningforce between the fuselage and the arms of the landing gears and forallowing the landing gear to be resiliently or elastically engaged ontothe ground and for preventing the toy airplane from striking onto theground while landing.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A toy airplane comprising: a fuselage, a main wing and a stabilizingfin and at least one rudder fin extended from said fuselage, and alanding gear including an arm extended from said fuselage, and includingat least one wheel attached to said arm, and said arm including at leastone depression formed in said arm for increasing a resilience of saidarm and for allowing said at least one wheel to be resiliently engagedonto ground and to be prevented from forcefully striking onto saidground while landing.
 2. The toy airplane as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid at least one wheel is rotatably attached to said arm with an axle.3. The toy airplane as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arm includes acurved structure for further increasing the resilience of said arm. 4.The toy airplane as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arm includes atleast one bent portion formed therein for further increasing theresilience of said arm.
 5. The toy airplane as claimed in claim 1,wherein said landing gear includes a rod attached to a bottom portion ofsaid fuselage, and having said arm extended downwardly and rearwardlyfrom said rod.
 6. The toy airplane as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidlanding gear is attached to a front portion of said fuselage.
 7. A toyairplane comprising: a fuselage, a main wing and a stabilizing fin andat least one rudder fin extended from said fuselage, and a landing gearincluding an arm extended from said fuselage, and including at least onewheel attached to said arm, and said arm including at least one bentportion formed in said arm for increasing a resilience of said arm andfor allowing said at least one wheel to be resiliently engaged ontoground and to be prevented from forcefully striking onto said groundwhile landing.
 8. The toy airplane as claimed in claim 7, wherein saidarm includes at least one depression formed in said arm for furtherincreasing the resilience of said arm.
 9. The toy airplane as claimed inclaim 7, wherein said arm includes a curved structure.
 10. A toyairplane comprising: a fuselage, a main wing and a stabilizing fin andat least one rudder fin extended from said fuselage, and a landing gearincluding an arm extended from said fuselage, and including at least onewheel attached to said arm, and said arm including a curved structurefor increasing a resilience of said arm and for allowing said at leastone wheel to be resiliently engaged onto ground and to be prevented fromforcefully striking onto said ground while landing.
 11. The toy airplaneas claimed in claim 10, wherein said arm includes at least onedepression formed in said arm for further increasing a resilience ofsaid arm.
 12. The toy airplane as claimed in claim 10, wherein said armincludes at least one bent portion formed in said arm for increasing theresilience of said arm.